SCOM Event – Harrison Connect

April 23, 2015woocw No Comments

SCOM Week 2015

The School of Communication Studies just wrapped up its 37th Annual Communication Studies Conference last week. The conference ran from April 13-15 and kicked off Monday night with the keynote address given by Dr. J. David Cisneros from the University of Illinois. Collectively, there were 25 papers presented by 50 students with 22 guest faculty discussants.

Beginning Tuesday morning and lasting till Wednesday afternoon, a variety of student speakers presented their research papers. The topics varied from communication and digital media, persuasion, identity, relationships, well-being, honors theses and more. Some papers had been completed and the presenters expounded on their findings, while others are still in the process of concluding and the outcomes were to be determined.

The director of the conference, Dr. Carlos Aleman, explained to the audiences how each presenter was hand picked by their professor. These students had displayed exceptional research, study and work habits and therefore had the honor of sharing their findings with those in attendance.

Furthermore, guests and speakers could follow along via social media, using the hashtag #SCOMcon2015 to see various pictures and updates throughout the week.

One presenter, Marlena Luciano (’16), talked about her experience presenting at the conference, “Presenting for SCOM week was an incredible experience. Although this was our first time conducting research, we still gained valuable practice in presenting a topic that interested us and received feedback from faculty and other professionals. It taught us the importance of continuing our knowledge in the field of communication by asking questions and finding answers through research.”

As in years past, Top Presentation honors are selected by faculty discussants’ assessments of the clarity of purpose, organization, professionalism, informative value, and level of engagement. This year the following presenters earning highest marks were:

“Crisis Communication and Sexual Assault on College Campuses.” (Julie Hirschhorn)

“Students as Neighbors Employing Dialogue and Deliberation to Manage Town-Gown Tensions.” (Lauren Holder, Courtney Herb & Alison Steed)

“Public Relations Promotion to Advance Child Reading and Literacy.” (Rosemarie McGinty)

To find out more about this year’s conference, the individual speakers and their topics, or information about previous years, you can visit their webpage by clicking here.

March 6, 2015woocw No Comments

February Recap: SCOM Reaches New Heights

Along with numerous inches of snow, the SCOM department has seen major accomplishments for the month of February.

On February 10^th students and faculty attended the Love Talk Film Festival, where scholars and long-term couples shared their expertise on love and relationships. In addition seven mini-documentaries, produced by students in Jennie Rosier’s (fall 2014) SCOM 314: Communication in Romantic Relationships class, were screened. The top three filmmakers received awards for their hard work.

FIRST PLACE:

Filmmaker Name: Jessica Hunt

Film Title: Love Me Not: Why You Stay When You Should Go

SECOND PLACE:

Filmmaker Name: Alyssa Herington

Film Title: “I Love You (maybe)”

THIRD PLACE:

Filmmaker Name: Nicole Lamberta

Film Title: Smooth Sails Ahead!

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On February 13, Public Relations Student Society of America (PRSSA) visited Washington D.C. to attend business briefings with PR agencies: Adfero Group, Burson-Marsteller, Edleman, Fleishman Hillard, and Golin. JMU will continue their professional development efforts with a visit to New York City in March.

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Dr. Fife’s essay was featured on the COE’s story project, “What Sustains Me.” He is the only CAL faculty member included in this project!

The College of Education’s “What Sustains Me” Project is a series of personal essays and/or artistic contributions about the heart of teachers and teaching. JMU College of Education faculty, faculty from other areas of the University, and teachers from surrounding area pre-K through 12th grade schools share their stories for the purpose of better understanding each other as educators and our potential as a community.

James Madison University – Eric Fife essay

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Dr. Lori Britt received JMU’s Goodman Faculty Award! This prestigious award is designed to recognize an exceptional junior faculty member for “excellence in teaching, and especially faculty who integrate their teaching and scholarship to benefit our student and the learning process.” Please share the good news.

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On the weekend of February 27^th, the JMU Speech team completed the last of their regular season travel on the Alexandria campus of Northern Virginia Community College. With eleven teams representing the eastern area of the US, the JMU team finished as the Top Team both days of competition. Qualification for the national tournament is a season long process and with the results from this last weekend every member of the JMU Speech Team qualified for the American Forensic Association-National Individual Events tournament to be held in Portland Oregon this April; this will be the largest squad JMU has qualified in its history.

Individual Results are as follows:

Olivia Adams, Freshman SCOM, 3rd After Dinner Speaking
Magdalene Dada, Sophomore Nursing, 5th Impromptu Speaking
Abby Fiege, Sophomore SCOM, 4th After Dinner Speaking
Nate Gross, Freshman Undeclared, 2nd Impromptu Speaking, 4th Persuasive Speaking
Armin Haracic, Sophomore International Affairs, 3rd Extemporaneous Speaking
Ally Hepburn, Freshman Undeclared, 1st Informative Speaking
Ty Kemp, Freshman SCOM, 6th Dramatic Interpretation, 2nd Informative Speaking
Haley Lawrie, Sophomore Spanish, 5th Extemporaneous Speaking, 3rd Informative Speaking
Nathan Selove, Sophomore SCOM 2nd Dramatic Interpretation, 4th Informative Speaking, 4th Prose Interpretation
Marieka Turner, Senior SCOM, 3rd Poetry Interpretation
Greta Wolking, Freshman Undeclared, 3rd Persuasive Speaking

1ST PLACE OVERALL TEAM

Day Two Results:

Olivia Adams, Freshman SCOM, 1st After Dinner Speaking
Jessie Bur, Senior SMAD/English, 3rd Poetry Interpretation
Magdalene Dada, Sophomore Nursing, 4th Impromptu
Abby Fiege, Sophomore SCOM, 2nd After Dinner Speaking, 2nd Duo Interpretation, 4th Prose Interpretation
Nate Gross, Freshman Undeclared, 2nd Impromptu Speaking, 4th Persuasive Speaking
Armin Haracic, Sophomore International Affairs, 4th Extemporaneous Speaking
Ally Hepburn, Freshman Undeclared, 6th Dramatic Interpretation, 4th Informative Speaking, 5th Prose Interpretation
Ty Kemp, Freshman SCOM, 3rd Dramatic Interpretation, 2nd Duo Interpretation
Haley Lawrie, Sophomore Spanish, 3rd Extemporaneous Speaking
Nathan Selove, Sophomore SCOM, 4th Dramatic Interpretation, 2nd Informative Speaking, 3rd Prose Interpretation
Greta Wolking, Freshman Undeclared, 3rd Persuasive Speaking, 6th Prose Interpretation

OVERALL TOP TEAM

The team is coached by graduate students Nicole Hudak and Katie Lese, as well as Alyssa Reid and Lee Mayfield.

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REMINDERS:

SCOM Banquet tickets now available!

Below are the dates/times/locations of ticket sales this week:

Monday 3/2: Harrison Conference room 1131 from 11-2pm
Tuesday 3/3: Harrison Conference room 1131 from 10:45-1:45pm
Wednesday 3/4: Harrison 1^st floor hallway from 11-2pm

*Tickets $13, cash and check accepted.

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ALL GRADUATING SENIORS (FULLY ADMITTED MAJORS):

You must take SCOM 394 prior to graduation. Some of you may already have taken the class, and in that case you don’t need to worry about it – but if not, make sure you’re registered for the course by the time it “starts” on March 16. The course consists solely of a set of assessment tests that you must take, with no specific score required, by the deadline (typically mid-April).

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Don’t forget, you can always prepare for your future by visiting the Career and Academic Planning Center. They can help you venture down the right road with advice on majors, internships, resumes, jobs, and more.

April 4, 2014woocw 1 Comment

SCOM Conference and SCOM Alumni Day, Here We Come!!

There are two upcoming events this week to kick-off the eventful month of April!

36th Annual SCOM Conference

JMU SCOM will hold it’s 36th Annual conference from April 7th- 9th.

(click imagee for Facebook event page)

KEYNOTE ADDRESS:

“Takin’ It to the Streets:” Promoting Social Justice through Communication Activiism Scholarship by Dr. Lawrence Frey will kick off the Conference. It will take place in Highlands Festival Conference Center at 7-8pm.

Here is a brief schedule of the conferences:

Monday (7th)

Pre-Conference Workshop 3:30-4:30pm @ Harrison 1290

Conference Start 7-8:15pm @Highlands, Festival Conference Center

Tuesday (8th)

Paper Session 1:Social Movements and Cultural Change 9:30 – 10:45am @ Transitions,Warren

Paper Session 2: Communicate Criticism and Popular Culture 11-12:15pm @ Transitions, Warren

Paper Session 3: Independent Research Projects 12:30-1:45pm @ Transitions, Warren

Paper Session 4: Communication and College Life 2-3pm @ Transitions, Warren

Information Session: Graduate Degree in Communication and Advocacy 3:30-4:30pm @ Transitions, Warren

Wednesday (9th)

Paper Session 5: Mediated Communication and Identities 9:05-9:55am @ Transitions, Warren

Paper Session 6: Presidential and Public Rhetoric 10:10-11am @ Transitions, Warren

Paper Session 7 : Honors Theses 11:15-12pm @ Transitions, Warren

Since there are multiple sessions, find ones that fit your schedule and attend. You will be able to find out interesting information as well as supporting your classmates.
For the full program you can find it at our Facebook event page.

SCOM Alumni Day

The day is finally here! This Friday will be the ‘Springboard Into the Future’ Alumni event!

(click image for Facebook event page)

Five Alumni Panel Presentations in Harrison 0102:

– Panel 1: (9:05-9:55) Entering into the Fast Paced World of For-Profit Organization’s: What to Expect!

– Panel 2: (10:10-11:00) “I graduated with a degree in Communication Studies… Now what?!”

– Panel 3: (11:15-12:05) Branding and Planning the Career of Your Dreams

– Panel 4: (12:20-1:10) Networking Like an All Star: The Ins and Outs of Building Professional Relationships

– Panel 5: (1:25-2:15) Inside the World of Public Relations: From the Day to Day to the Big Picture

Student-Alumni Lunch in Harrison 1290 from 11:30-2pm

Afterwards come out to the Alumni Awards Picnic in the courtyard behind Harrison and Ashby at 3pm!!

Enjoy a sunny Friday mingling with your classmates, faculty members and alumni! This will be a great opportunity to network as well as get to know others in SCOM!

We will be updating our Facebook and Twitter page during these events so please stay tuned through these outlets as well!

Please let us know if you have any news to share with us. You can contact Dr. Isaac Woo (woocw@jmu.edu), Karen Kim (kim2yj@dukes.jmu.edu) or Colby Boone (booneck@dukes.jmu.edu) for a blog story idea.f

April 1, 2014woocw No Comments

Event TOMORROW!

As the weather is warming up, we have exciting events coming up as well and there’s a great event happening TOMORROW!

Community Dialogue on Community Health

(click on image for Facebook event page)

We hope you will join us for a facilitated community dialogue on: Access to Health: It’s Political—A Community Dialogue on Wednesday, April 2, 2014 (TOMORROW) 5:30-7:00pm in the JMU Rose Library, 3^rd Floor Flex Space.

(Parking is available to campus visitors in the C10 and D2 lots between 5:30pm and 7:00pm. No permits will be necessary)

This discussion will center on the question “How can we educate and engage community members in all facets of healthcare and remove barriers to wellness, access to preventative and urgent care, and local resources in an effort to protect, promote and enhance quality of life.”

This focus was sparked by many of the ideas in the A Book for the ‘Burg selection, Mountains Beyond Mountains, about the work of Dr. Paul Farmer in addressing critical health issues and finding that those issues intersect with politics, the natural environment, cultural values and norms, transportation, etc. The discussion will consider how healthcare intersects with these issues right here at JMU, in Harrisonburg and in the Valley and consider how we might all contribute to our community’s health.

This interactive event is being led by trained student facilitators of the 4C Initiative: Campus Community Civic Collaborative, a program of the Institute for Constructive Advocacy and Dialogue (ICAD)/School of Communication Studies. This event is part of a larger programming schedule for A Book for the ‘Burg, a community reading experience. The event is free, open to the public, and does not require participants to have read the book.

For more information, contact Lori Britt at brittll@jmu.edu, or

540-568-5028

540-568-5028.

See more on healthcare access and community dialogue at a blog created by students: http://accessinghealthjmu.wordpress.com/contact-us/